Quickfish vs. Quickflip (flip style house)

[Monkster]

I have a flip style house and want to get a newer, larger house. I would like to go to a 3 person flip, but the the downfalls are cost and weight. I have looked at a Quickfish, but I have always been weary of sitting "on the ice". What is the argument for buying a more afordable Quickfish besides price and weight? Do those that have a Quickfish type of a house lay down a piece of carpet or something else, seems like it would get really wet in there?!

[TAtkeson]

I have a Black Ice 3 man hub (same as the Quickfish and Clam 3 person hub) and love it. You can stand in it there is plenty of room to move around with two people. As far as putting down something to put my feet on I have not but I have a great pair of boots that keep me pretty warm. I have thought about a thick doormat, strip of carpet or piece of cattle mat to toss down but I personally don't think I need it as I stated before that my boots do a fine job of keeping the cold off my feet.

[bigbad401]

I love the fact that I can stand up in my Quickfish 3. I have not put anything down below my feet. So far I have not found the need to do so. The price and weight are very nice benefits.

[walleye44]

I have a flip style house and want to get a newer, larger house. I would like to go to a 3 person flip, but the the downfalls are cost and weight. I have looked at a Quickfish, but I have always been weary of sitting "on the ice". What is the argument for buying a more afordable Quickfish besides price and weight? Do those that have a Quickfish type of a house lay down a piece of carpet or something else, seems like it would get really wet in there?!

Years ago I was like you. I wanted a floor in my fish house. I mean who wants to stand on the ice right. Once they started putting in the zipped doors so you do not lose all your heat I jumped ship to the flip style house. Really standing on the ice is no big deal.. I do not put anything down on the ice.

I go after quality rather then the price. I want a house that will last so you have to break the price down over years. You get what you pay for. Weight is not much of a big deal either because most of the time you can just drive out & not walk to far. I just picked up a Canvas Craft Magnum with the Norpac material , which is their larger (3) person house. I love this house. Talk about warm. I will save money in propane this year for sure. You can save some money if you go with the regular canvas material also, if you want up front cost saving. Go out & check out their houses & the competition out there. It is a nice house..

[herefish101]

Hub style house you need to haul and carry everything, plus you need to bring chairs. Sled style house the chairs are built into it and everything else you need fits in the sled, does it get heavy, sure, but you need the same size sled to haul everything out to a spot anyway, that is if you fish before the ice is thick enough to drive on. In my opinion the sled style flip over shacks are more versital, the hubs are bigger and more open than the flips but you have to check em out, sit in each and decide what you like and if it fits your style of fishing.

[RiverFish]

I have a hub style shelter (4 person) and I love it. I do have a pull behind sled as well that I have modified so that I have a spot to sit in the shelter.

Works great, I pull the sled out with my auger and shelter on it.

I feel the hub style gives me more room.

[jBohmer]

I sat in an Eskimo 6 man Hub style on Mille Lacs last saturday. Perfect for three guys. We had one Mr. Heater and a lantern, plenty of heat with nothing on the floor. I am a flip over guy and always will be, but if I wanted a larger porty I think that a HUB is the way to go.

[NCLaker]

Doesn't matter if you are in a flip or hub style shack, your feet will be on the ice unless you put something (as mentioned).

Both shacks are great, but really depends on your situation and style of fishing. I love my flip over (Otter Lodge)especially for extreme conditions, run & gun, when I have to rely on a sled to get to spots because of deep snow, and no more than 2-3 people. If I have more than 3, than hands down I go with the my quickfish 6 lots of room for 4 people and can squeeze in 6 if you don't mind being a little crowded. I'm not a big fan of the flipover shacks that open back-back for 4+ people - too big and heavy for me. Also, I transport my quickfish in a car - this would not be an option for most flip syle.

Every time I have brought someone out fishing that has never been in a hub style shack, they are always shocked at how big and easy it is to setup and fish out of. They all love how light and compact it folds up to. It is the best way to go for a portable for 4+ people imo.

[mixxedbagg]

Boy, I'm in the market for a new fish shelter, but I'm having a terrible time deciding. I thought I wanted a flip, but then I saw that only a few 2 man flips would fit in my car. I didn't like one of them and I haven't gotten a chance to see the Frabill Trekker in person.

Then, I finally stepped into one of those Eskimo popups. It was actually kind of nice. I haven't had a chance to visit one of the 6x8 Eskimos though. The popup appealed to me because of it's small size in the car, the roominess, and the price. I was a little unsure about the mobility of such a unit.

For me, over half of my fishing is alone. But I do have a beat up 1 man flip I can use for that.

When I do fish with someone else, either it's one adult...in which case the setup is no problem. Often, it's with my young son...then I'd be setting it up by myself. That might be an issue?? Sometimes, a friend and I want to bring our respective sons, then it would be 4 of us...and the 6x6 wouldn't be large enough. I'd consider the 6x8, but I'm not sure I could set it up on the days I just fished with my son.

Is there a win-win-win solution out there?

[fishwater]

The 6 man hubs are just as easy to setup with one man as the smaller hubs, it'll just take a bit longer. I would get a 6man, they work great for two people.

[Monkster]

Thanks for all the comments. It really comes down to what you want to get out of your house. If I go with a pop up, I would still need a sled to pull auger, LP and equipment, so then it comes down to deciding what I want to pay and how much room I need. I am going to shop this year and get something at the end of the season. Thanks all!

[mixxedbagg]

Well, I bought one tonight. I got the Eskimo Quick Fish 4. It was $219. It's actually a little taller than I'd like (great for spearing?), but I want to be able to fish with a friend and both of our sons, and it looks just about right...6x8.

I figured, there are probably guys who own a 3 and would upsize, so if this one is too much shelter, I'll take good care of it and post on here that I'm interested in trading straight up--a 4 for a well-cared for 3, and I'll bet I get a nibble. So, not too much risk, other than the possibility of overpaying for a 3. Maybe straight up for a thermal 3.

[Monkster]

MB, is the Quickfish 4 too tall? I am debating on the QF3 or 4.

[pulsar_nx]

I originally bought my quickfish 3 for when I want to fish with another and when I can drive on the lake. I've found that I can fit everything in a otter small sled so it's also an early season house too. I've also found that I like fishing out of it more than my FT pro and I fish longer because it is more comfortable. So far the pro has sat all winter in the shed.

[mixxedbagg]

Quote:

MB, is the Quickfish 4 too tall? I am debating on the QF3 or 4.

Well, today was my first run with it. Of course, it isn't windy at all, but the height--while much taller than necessary--was not a problem for setup. When inside, I honestly have to jump to reach the peak of the ceiling. I was only using a portable buddy, but I was always comfortable in a sweatshirt. However, it was much warmer at the ceiling, which was pretty useless. It did not make it more difficult to set up...no matter what, the pull handles are a little hard to reach if you're 5' 8" like me, but they weren't prohibitive. I was able to set it up by myself, but having a partner was handy. I never had to use the anchors (wind here is under 10 mph today) and barely banked it with snow. It was pleasantly roomy for 2 guys in there. I think I made the right choice. I can't wait to try it out with our respective 9 year olds. It probably won't feel roomy then, but it should be comfortable.

I didn't like rolling it back up to rebag. That was really the main drawback. We tried it with shoveling the snow around the spot and without, and both ways seemed fine, though it was nice to pack it down a little. Overall, the time factor of setting up wasn't much worse than other types of shelters, but maybe a little more effort. We did decide to try moving it about 200' at one point, and we were able to move it without difficulty....of course, unlike some flips, we had to then make a trip for the gear.

The screw in anchors go in the ice REALLY nice, even though we didn't need them.

If you're only fishing with one other person, get the 3. If you are considering 2 or 3 more people, get the 4. We consumed more of the space inside the shelter than we would have thought.

[bigbad401]

Get a small fan and place it at the top pointing down to get circulation.

[jBohmer]

+1 on the fan, it really helps.

[mixxedbagg]

Sounds good. Hopefully those battery powered fish shelter fans are cheap as I have completely blown away my fishing gear allowance as of late. I'm starting to feel a lot bit guilty.

[jBohmer]

Clam fan/light combo $25 dollars I think. Run on two D batteries. Battery life seems to be ok in my opinion. I beleive their are other options and I know their are several threads about them.

[TAtkeson]

Find the black ice fan light combo same exact thing just different logos on the packaging will run you around 10 bucks less than the Clam ... you would be paying for a logo that will end up in the trash.

[jBohmer]

Find the black ice fan light combo same exact thing just different logos on the packaging will run you around 10 bucks less than the Clam ... you would be paying for a logo that will end up in the trash.

I had good luck with mine. The only issue is the stupid handle would fall off easily if is not latched right. Mine shattered last Saturday when the fan/light crashed on the ice with the handle in my hand. I will take a look at the one you mentioned. I think I can still salvage the fan, but the light is a gonner unless i jerry rig. I will miss the light though. It was on its third season with no problems until then. I have heard of some guys not liking theirs for what ever reason.

[cold one sd]

Did you use the heat barrier at the top of the walls or not? I think it is supposed to hold the heat down and prevent moisture dripping from the ceiling.

[pulleye16]

I have a 6 x 6 HUB and did want something under my feet. One option were these rubber horse mats but were a little to heavy for me. I found very cheap outdoor carpet with the rubber backing, weights almost nothing and the best part...I double it as a cover over my otter sled with two bungies. Works pretty slick!